The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall and the Battle for the Supreme Court

The Great Decision tells the riveting story of Marshall and of the landmark court case, Marbury v. Madison, through which he empowered the Supreme Court and transformed the idea of the separation of powers into a working blueprint for our modern state.

This seemed like an "abridged" reading. Chapters were short and leaving me hungry for more information. I also felt the book lacked direction. It took a long time to even get to the Great Decision. I couldn't tell if this was a book about the early Founding Fathers, the debate between Republicans & Federalists, the Court's history or a biography of Marshal. It probably should have been all of the above in a longer book. It is also frustrating when statements are mentioned, both correctly and incorrectly, in different chapters. For example: Marshal was referred to as both the 3rd and 4th Chief Justice & The number of ballots needed in the Jefferson/Burr decision was referred to as both 35 and 36. Narration was a bit slow, but very clear enjoyable listen.All in all, I enjoyed the book. A great part of judicial history that has not been given enough attention. Characters were well researched. I like any book that I walk away from learning something.

The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks

Every great drink starts with a plant. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley. Gin was born from a conifer shrub when medieval physicians boiled juniper berries with wine to treat stomach pain. The Drunken Botanist uncovers the surprising botanical history and fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, and fruits (and even a few fungi).

A couple of OK sections on Plants that actually had a story behind them and there relationship with spirits, but for the most part, I found this to be very boring. It was like listening to someone read out of a dictionary. My book downloaded into hundreds of chapters - each a very short (just a few minutes) definition of the plant, botanical classification, and how to make a drink with it. I can Google plants too. I was hoping for more botanical history and fun, informative plant/spirits trivia, not a hundred plant definitions & drink recipes.At the risk of sounding too critical, I did not care for the narration. Her loooong pronunciation of vowels and emotion in her voice was more suited for a Romance Novel.Overall, I did not care for this book.

Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America

From one of America's most talented historians and winner of a LA Times Book Prize comes a brilliant new account of Richard Nixon that reveals the riveting backstory to the red state/blue state resentments that divide our nation today. Told with urgency and sharp political insight, Nixonland recaptures America's turbulent 1960s and early 1970s and reveals how Richard Nixon rose from the political grave to seize and hold the presidency.

I just wanted to learn more about Richard Nixon, his presidency and the history of the United States during that era. This was a very boring and overly detailed account of Nixon's political life, with so many details that provide little to no educational substance. Maybe better suited for a Political Science grad-student, than someone interested in political/presidential history. This is not a historical account of the Nixon years nor is it a biography.

Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds

A larger-than-life hero with a towering personality, Robin Olds was a graduate of West Point and an inductee in the National College Football Hall of Fame for his All-American performance for Army. In World War II, Olds quickly became a top fighter pilot and squadron commander by the age of 22—a double ace with twelve aerial victories. But it was in Vietnam where the man became a legend.

A little disappointed considering the topic and all of the great reviews. Good book for his close friends and family members who can appreciate all of the detailed conversations he had with various people he interacted with over the years, as well as, all of the details about his many jobs in the military.I was looking for more of a historical - non fiction - novel type of book about his air combat missions, the pilots that served with him, and the role of air combat in WWII & Vietnam. These topics were barely covered as the author details Robin Olds' life from college through 30 years of military service and all the many jobs he held. I might have enjoyed an abridged version.With that said, Robin Olds was an amazing fighter pilot and our military needs more soldiers like him and David Hackworth. Search Robin Olds on YouTube for reenactment videos of his air combat missions against MIG fighters.Narration was superb.

Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars

America was made manifest by its cars. From the assembly lines of Henry Ford to the open roads of Route 66 and Jack Kerouac, America's history is a vehicular history-an idea brought brilliantly to life in this major work by the acclaimed author of Crash Course: The American Automobile Industry's Road from Glory to Disaster.

I really enjoyed this book because I learned a lot about many cars, the people behind their creation and what impact they had on society. I don't consider myself a huge car enthusiast (although, I do own a restored sports car from the 60's), but there wasn't a single car in this book that I didn't enjoy reading about. It is amazing how cars can define a culture, make or break an economy, and even have an effect on our political system. The only bad thing about this audio-book, is that there are no pictures. I was constantly looking these cars up on-line to see what they looked like. I'm sure this would be a great coffee table book because I'm guessing it has some great pictures.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Why we think it’s a great listen:Seabiscuit was a runaway success, and Hillenbrand’s done it again with another true-life account about beating unbelievable odds. On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.....

This book is great. I love history, and I have a profound respect for those who have fought to defend our freedom. This is a story of survival, adventure, perseverance, and service. It reads like a great novel, but unfortunately it is a true story about the horrors of war. Many American POW's survived a living hell under Japanese captivity, if they were lucky to survive at all, and returning to civilian life was no easy matter.I think it is a responsibility of all Americans to have an understanding of the death, torture and inconvenience that millions of our service men & women have endured. This book puts a name & face to the suffering of war and the challenges of coming home. You will not want to put this book down. It is interesting & exciting to the very end. You will not walk away from it without a great appreciation and understanding of what it means to sacrifice.

The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler

At the dawn of the 20th century, humanity was facing global disaster. Mass starvation, long predicted for the fast-growing population, was about to become a reality. A call went out to the worlds scientists to find a solution. This is the story of the two enormously gifted, fatally flawed men who found it: the brilliant, self-important Fritz Haber and the reclusive, alcoholic Carl Bosch. Together they discovered a way to make bread out of air, built city-sized factories, controlled world markets, and saved millions of lives.

This was a fun book. Well researched, well written and well delivered. It includes a little bit of my three favorite subjects...science, history & food. Well, kind of food, you can't have food without fixed nitrogen. I first became interested in fixed nitrogen & Haber's invention after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. Michael Pollan referred to it briefly, and I was surprised that I did not know much about an invention that changed the world in so many ways. This book provides a history of the men involved with fixed nitrogen, the company's that they worked for that brought it to market, how they did it and the consequences of their creation. Again, this is a fun, interesting read. You do not need a science or history background to enjoy this book. If you are just looking for a book on a different subject than you usually listen to, and you want to learn something new, check this out. I think you will enjoy it.

A Concise History of the Middle East, Ninth Edition

The ninth edition of this widely acclaimed text has been extensively revised to reflect the latest scholarship and the most recent events in the Middle East. As an introduction to the history of this turbulent region from the beginnings of Islam to the present day, the book is distinguished by its clear style, broad scope, and balanced treatment.

Well, concise means a lot of information in few words, and that's what this book is. For a book this short to cover the entire Middle East, multiple nations, and it's rich history, you get a concise overview of the Middle East. Many chapters (or sections) that cover just a little bit of information about a particular subject. It reads like a High School text book, an introduction to Middle East History. If you are looking for a very general overview of this part of the world before you dive into a book about The Ottoman Empire, Arab/Israeli conflict, or western influence in the Middle East, this will work. You won't learn a lot about anything, but you will learn a little about everything (in the Middle East). Enjoy.

The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History

No disease the world has ever known even remotely resembles the great influenza epidemic of 1918. Presumed to have begun when sick farm animals infected soldiers in Kansas, spreading and mutating into a lethal strain as troops carried it to Europe, it exploded across the world with unequaled ferocity and speed. It killed more people in 20 weeks than AIDS has killed in 20 years; it killed more people in a year than the plagues of the Middle Ages killed in a century.

This is not 18 hours of the Influenza. Like many good reads "listens' related to history, you will learn about that era. Barry touches on WWI, The Red Cross, Woodrow Wilson, early development of physician education/hospital research, and several people that played a part in medical research. My only critique would be that some of the biographies got a little dry, so the book had some drawn-out parts. Also,the epidemic hit several cities in very similar fashion, so as each was described I felt as if I were listening to the same story told again. Overall, I thought it was rich in information and well read by Brick.

Drinking with George: A Barstool Professional's Guide to Beer

George Wendt and beer have shared a lot over the years: good times, great stories, useless trivia, and a successful show business career. In Drinking with George, Wendt invites readers to crack open a cold one and pull up a seat at the bar as he celebrates the indelible, intoxicating beverage.

Wow, that was absolutely horrible. For some reason I thought this was going to be a book about beer. After all, the title is "A Barstool Professional's Guide to Beer". I always liked George (Norm) from Cheers, and I love beer, so I was eager to learn about beer (history, brewing, types, manufacturing etc.) from someone who I thought had gone to "school" on the vast & rich history of beer, I was wrong.

This is a long, dragged out story about all of the stupid things George did while growing up. He tells stories of drinking as a kid, drinking in high school, drinking in college, getting arrested, and buying a keg for his son. These stories are neither unique or all that interesting. More importantly, this is NOT a "Barstool Professional's Guide to Beer".

This is the first audio book that I have not been able to finish. Needless to say, I cannot recommend this book.

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